Meltwater flows over the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 27, 2020. Glaciers in China's bleak, rugged Qilian mountains are disappearing at a shocking rate as global warming brings unpredictable change and raises the prospect of crippling, long-term water shortages, scientists say. The largest glacier in the 800-km (500-mile) mountain chain on the arid northeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau has retreated about 450 metres since the 1950s, when researchers set up China's first monitoring station to study it. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A bridge crosses the dried riverbed of the Shule river in Gansu province, China September 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Mineral deposits lie in the midst of grass close to the dried bed of the Shule river in Gansu province, China September 19, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Meltwater from the Laohugou No. 12 glacier, flows near its edge (terminal point) in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China September 27, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin Xiang, the director at the monitoring station. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Gu Jianwei, 35, places a cauliflower on the back of his tricycle while harvesting them in a village on the outskirts of Jiuquan, Gansu province, China, September 28, 2020. Gu said the changes in the weather have meant meagre water for his cauliflowers this year. He said he had been able to water his crop just twice over two crucial summer months, holding up a small cauliflower head that he said was just a fraction of the normal weight. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Gu Jianwei, 35, takes a cauliflower from his mother Xie Xiaolin, 58, to place it in the back of his tricycle while harvesting them on the field at a village on the outskirts of Jiuquan, Gansu province, China September 28, 2020. Gu said the changes in the weather have meant meagre water for his cauliflowers this year. He said he had been able to water his crop just twice over two crucial summer months, holding up a small cauliflower head that he said was just a fraction of the normal weight. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Meltwater flows over the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 27, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin Xiang, the director at the monitoring station. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Qin Xiang director of the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Jin Zizhen, 27, a PhD student in glacial hydrology, place a measuring pole in the ice near the edge of the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China September 26, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin. "The speed that this glacier has been shrinking is really shocking." REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Jin Zizhen, 27, a PhD student of glacial hydrology, and Qin Xiang, the director of the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences walk towards the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China September 26, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin. "The speed that this glacier has been shrinking is really shocking." REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Meltwater drips from an icicle on the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 26, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin Xiang, the director at the monitoring station. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Meltwater flows over the ice of the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 27, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin Xiang, the director at the monitoring station. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A staff member enters the toilet building in front of snow covered mountains at the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, near the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 26, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Zhou Jianping, 56, prepares breakfast for staff at the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, near the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 26, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Director Qin Xiang (2nd L) speaks to staff members at the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, near the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China September 25, 2020. The 20-square kilometre glacier is criss-crossed by rivulets of water down its craggy, grit-blown surface. It has shrunk by about 7% since measurements began, with melting accelerating at a record pace in recent years, scientists say. Equally alarming is the loss of thickness, with about 13 metres (42 feet) of ice disappearing as temperatures rise, said Qin. "The speed that this glacier has been shrinking is really shocking." REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Staff members repair the gate of the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, near the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 26, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Jin Zizhen, 27, a PhD student of glacial hydrology, checks a data collection station next to a glacial stream of meltwater from the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 26, 2020. "The glacier has got smaller, it?s total area has shrunk. It?s something I?ve been able to see with my own eyes. The terminal point of the glacier keeps retreating" Zizhen said. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Visitors enjoy the landscape at the Yumen Pass site, which was a historical gateway, on the ancient Silk Road in Gansu province, China, September 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Visitors look at a model showing the region's water system at the Yumen Pass tourist attraction, which was a historical gateway on the ancient Silk Road in Gansu province, China September 20, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A hydropower station stands on the Changma river on the outskirts of Yumen, Gansu province, China, September 28, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A truck drives next to the dried bed of the Shule river, in the Gobi desert in Gansu province, China, September 21, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Donkeys drink water from a pond near the dried bed of the Shule river in the Gobi desert in Gansu province, China, September 21, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Donkeys stand near the dried bed of the Shule river, in the Gobi desert in Gansu province, China September 21, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Lv Tusong, 45, herds his sheep on a scooter in a village near the edge of the Gobi desert on the outskirts of Yumen, Gansu province, China, September 29, 2020. Farmers pay authorities for use of water from Qilian supplied either through open ditches or covered wells. "You pay for two inches worth of water but you only get one inch's worth," said Lv who has over 90 mu of land in the north of Yumen city. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A farmer works in a field near the edge of the Gobi desert in a village on the outskirts of Yumen, Gansu province, China, September 29, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Electricity pylons stand in the Gobi desert on the outskirts of Dunhuang, Gansu province, China September 19, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

An elderly man sits outside in a village on the outskirts of Yumen, Gansu province, China September 29, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A farmer harvests corn in a field on the outskirts of Jiayuguan, Gansu province, China September 28, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Corn is piled in the back of a vehicle in a field on the outskirts of Jiayuguan, Gansu province, China September 28, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A worker harvests onions from a field in a village on the outskirts of Yumen, Gansu province, China, September 29, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Meltwater from the Laohugou No. 12 glacier, flows though the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 27, 2020. Glaciers in China's bleak, rugged Qilian mountains are disappearing at a shocking rate as global warming brings unpredictable change and raises the prospect of crippling, long-term water shortages, scientists say. The largest glacier in the 800-km (500-mile) mountain chain on the arid northeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau has retreated about 450 metres since the 1950s, when researchers set up China's first monitoring station to study it. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A tractor drives in a field near the edge of the Gobi desert in a village on the outskirts of Yumen, Gansu province, China, September 29, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Staff members eat breakfast at the Qilian Shan Station of Glaciology and Ecologic Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, near the Laohugou No. 12 glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China, September 27, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Meltwater from the Laohugou No. 12 glacier, flows past one of the faces of the glacier in the Qilian mountains, Subei Mongol Autonomous County in Gansu province, China September 26, 2020. Glaciers in China's bleak, rugged Qilian mountains are disappearing at a shocking rate as global warming brings unpredictable change and raises the prospect of crippling, long-term water shortages, scientists say. The largest glacier in the 800-km (500-mile) mountain chain on the arid northeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau has retreated about 450 metres since the 1950s, when researchers set up China's first monitoring station to study it. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "RAWLINS GLACIER" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.